credentials for free online study-Washington Post

These new arrivals are harnessing the Internet to offer online courses, which isn’t new. But their classes are free, or almost free. Most traditional universities have refused to award academic credit for such online studies.

Now the start-ups are discovering a way around that monopoly, by inventing credentials that “graduates” can take directly to employers instead of university degrees.

“If I were the universities, I might be a little nervous,” said Alana Harrington, director of Saylor.
org, a nonprofit organization based in the District. Established by entrepreneur Michael Saylor, it offers 200 free online college courses in 12 majors.

I am all for very low priced education , however, we must consider the impact free, or near free education , would have on education in general e.g, quality, employment, salaries, over saturation and more. I do believe education is undergoing a paradigm shift---not just the online DL revolution---Straighterline's model is here to stay. Branding is important but it is not everything wherein "customers" will seek out lower priced products (learning outcomes/credentials). I believe that if state funding was trimmed back many lesser known regional state colleges and universities would fold up. In addition, the non-profit DL sector will retract.

GW University is a prestigious and well regarded school. Established in the heart of the nation's capital in 1821, GW provides innovative programs in more than 200 fields of study, including graduate certificate, master's and doctoral programs. Under the guidance of a world-renowned faculty, you will explore both theory and practice in courses that prepare you to meet the needs of an increasingly complex society.